


Tainted Dreams (SFW)

by Inuy21



Series: Alistair/Elissa Cousland [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Blood and Gore, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Nudity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-25 19:10:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7544476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inuy21/pseuds/Inuy21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elissa Cousland experiences another nightmare fueled by her tainted blood. Luckily this time Alistair is there to help her through it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tainted Dreams (SFW)

**Author's Note:**

> There is a NSFW version that will posted here as well!

It was dark, with only the smell of blood and death. That’s how it always started, these…nightmares. They were said to be caused by the taint—the darkspawn blood she had consumed during the joining—but Elissa wasn’t quite sure she believed it. Noise, the sounds of chaos filled the void next. Children, men, women, even animals were not immune to the slaughter that was taking place in some distant location. 

She knew what would come next: the images—not of people she knew, thankfully—but all the same, awful flashes of throats getting slit or a healthy body being skewered by a spear or an arrow or perhaps being chopped up by axes. She felt her body shudder and cringe at the vivid imagery her mind supplied with the help of the many battles she had already been through on this journey. However this was nothing new: death, violence, her inability to stop it. Then it happened. 

His voice called out to her, from where she did not know but it was louder than the other sounds. Somewhere amongst the chaos he was beckoning her—not yelling, not screaming. She tried to peer through the battlefield that now spread out before her, but it was no use. So she moved: her first mistake. She shouldn’t be able to feel the muck beneath her boots but she could. A combination of who-knew-what was squishing between her toes. 

Her second mistake was to look down. The ground swirled around her naked feet and bare legs. She blinked but it only made the sensation worse. Then the third and final mistake came as she moved forward. Ignoring the gunk caking onto her naked skin, she pushed forward to what she thought was sanity. 

Ignoring the corpses spiked to the ground and the innards she slipped upon, she pushed herself toward that voice—which was now becoming a bit frantic. So she pushed harder as if she had to break her way through some magical spell. That’s when she heard it, the roar of the archdemon. Then from out of nowhere the giant dragon was flying overhead, ignoring her in favor of some bigger prize. It wasn’t long after that everything came to a standstill. 

She stopped fighting because there he was as if someone had transported him there instead of waiting for her to find him. With a gasped sob she reached for him and fell to her knees as her body stiffened in fear. It was a dream, just a nightmare. It wasn’t real! Maker, help her! It felt so real, too real. She should have been there, to prevent this or perhaps she would be beside him in his pain and they could both perish as all Grey Wardens should—fighting the darkspawn. 

“Elissa!” 

His voice was still strong despite his mangled and bloodied body. Pieces of his armor were missing, while other parts had been dented and scuffed by the enemy. It wasn’t real; she willed her mind to believe the truth. This wasn’t happening…yet. Tears burned at the back of her eyes as she doubled over and her forehead landed on the filthy ground. She pressed her head toward the coolness of the earth, to concentrate on anything but the dying man in front of her. It was easier now, to remember. 

This was just a nightmare. She cut off the thought that it could be a vision of the future. No, just a nightmare; that was all this was. She and Alistair had been growing closer, bonding, even sharing a bed. That was the reason she was seeing him here and now, in this awful place.

“Darling,” his voice was so clear, as if he was whispering the word in her ear instead of laying feet away. 

Another sob broke through as she jerked her head up and hit something solid. A groan mingled with hers as her head cleared and her eyes blinked open. The comforting heat at her back moved and the arm that been wrapped around her waist disappeared. Instinctively a hand rose to rub her aching head and smacked against another hand. 

“You really do enjoy inflicting pain upon me, don’t you?” Alistair grumbled behind her.

Elissa couldn’t stop the smile that spread over her lips despite the throbbing in her head. “I don’t do it on purpose, love,” she replied in a soothing tone. Now that her head was clearing she felt bad and wanted to make up for whatever she had done in her sleep. 

The bronzed arm looped back around her waist and tugged her against the hard body of her bed mate. A warm kiss was placed at the top of her shoulder before he spoke again. “I’m not sure about that,” the words were spoken gentler this time and with a hint of amusement. “What were you dreaming about?” 

She shook her head, careful so she didn’t injure him again. “Just a nightmare,” she answered, turning in his hold to look at him over her shoulder. 

His eyebrows immediately drew together in concern. He knew what it was like, that after such an episode it was sometimes easier to forget then to recall what happened. She definitely didn’t want to talk about what she had seen as their relationship was a bit uncertain right now. What with the whole Blight and not knowing if either of them would survive and then the added weight of Eamon wanting Alistair to take the throne. She just wanted to enjoy what time they might have left instead of worrying over all the things that could pull them apart. 

“I can tell by that look on your face that you don’t want to talk about it,” he said as if he found the idea a little offending. 

“I’m sorry. Not right now, at least.” Elissa turned even further so she could cup his cheek and press a kiss on his lips. “It was just…too real.” She needed to know that Alistair was alive and healthy because just looking at him could only hold the demons at bay for so long. 

He closed his eyes, sighed, and rested his forehead against hers in understanding. “Every day it gets harder for me, too. Sometimes I wonder,” he began before being stopped by another kiss.

“None of that, Alistair.” She pulled back to finally get a good look at his face and noticed his nose was bright red. She pressed a soft kiss to soothe the pain then pulled back again. “Did I hurt you anywhere else?” 

A corner of his mouth turned up. “Now that you mention it,” he growled playfully as his hand curved around her bottom and pulled their lower bodies closer. “Would you mind ever-so-much kissing me everywhere?”

Elissa laughed. “Everywhere? That could take all night and we really should let our other companions rest,” she answered even though she rubbed her naked flesh against his and wrapped an arm around his back.

He shifted so he could bring his other hand up to run through her short hair. “Both Morrigan and Zevran have been saying hurtful things to me all day. “ He pouted before adding, “I suppose you just tuned them right out?”

She nipped at his chin. “Of course, they only do it because they know how you’ll react.”

“And what of good grandmotherly Wynne? I suppose they bribed her to get in on the ‘humiliate Alistair’ ploy?” 

His fingertips found the shell of her ear and traced the sensitive skin. “Wynne does it because she loves you. You know she’s happy for us and only wants the best for you,” her voice came out a little more breathy as he continued his play on her body. 

Her hips nudged forward, teasing them both with the intimate contact. Alistair leaned in and bypassed the teasing kiss he was aiming for. His lips smashed against hers in a bruising kiss that she quickly turned into a heated frenzy of tongues and teeth. Not at all something he would have thought a woman would like but he was quick to return the fervor. The hand that had been sitting patiently on her bottom hooked around her thigh so he could rest the leg over his hip; the other one that had been idly playing at her ear slid around to cup her head and hold her steady. 

She pushed at his chest, rolling him to his back so she could straddle him. When she started to pull away he let her go even though his fingers were now tangled in her hair. “I want what’s best for you, too,” she breathed out. “I’m not sure that I could let you go if that’s what it comes down to.”

“I thought we were done speaking,” he replied in a huskier tone than usual. 

It was her turn to touch her forehead against his and sigh. “I just want you.” She stopped the rest of the sentence with a tender kiss. He was happy, wasn’t he? It wasn’t like she was forcing him into this situation or to stay with her. 

“You have me.”

There was the smile that melted her heart and a little part of her brain. She wanted to ask if it would be for always but instead she made herself return the smile. No more talking. Let the actions speak for themselves. So that’s what she set her mind to, making sure they were both pleasantly exhausted and well loved.

Afterwards, lying in his arms sweaty and sated she glanced over at him. She wasn’t surprised to find him watching her already, so she gave him a cheeky grin. The arm that was laying limp behind her shoulders pulled her up so he could kiss her forehead. 

“Will you be able to sleep now?” he asked on the verge of sleep. 

“Have I ever had trouble falling asleep afterward?” she countered.

Alistair chuckled. “It depends who we pissed off tonight.”

Elissa turned her face to smother her laughter in his shoulder. “It’s your fault this time, so you’ll just have to deal with the humiliation that comes with it.”

“If it’s Morrigan,” he started on a disgusted note, “I’m letting you handle it, Warden.”

“Coward,” she muttered, resting her head on his chest so that it was tucked up under his chin. “You’re going to have to deal with her sooner or later.”

“Then I’ll deal with her later. Besides you do such a wonderful job running her off without drawing blood. Pity,” he added the last word on in a whisper. 

She pinched a patch of skin on his chest and twisted. He yelped and tensed, the hand at her shoulder clenching just a little too hard. “She’s not as bad as you think.” When he drew in breath to speak again, she pinched him again. “You can tell me about it in the morning. Let’s sleep while we have the opportunity.”


End file.
